Chapter 7
The communication courtyard had guards, so Yu Sui couldn't go there often.
She had only been there once, but in the days and nights that followed, whenever she closed her eyes, she could recall every detail of the National Academy's communication array.
When Yu Sui was alone in her room, she would start by drawing the ground stellar array. Though she had only seen it once, it was as if she had built it herself, incredibly skilled with every process, naturally drawing it out.
She would burn the drawings after finishing each one, then draw them again in her mind.
The immensely vast numbers rotated in her mind every day, yet Yu Sui felt mentally sharp, energetically calculating the combinations of three forces.
The National Academy's communication array was super-large, with very wide coverage, occupying one-third of the entire southern part of the imperial capital.
Some communication arrays had range restrictions, only able to send messages within their coverage area. Beyond this range, without proper authorization, no messages could be sent to people inside.
Yu Sui spent over two months dismantling this super-large communication array.
During these two months, she went to Gu Qian's house almost every day. She claimed to be studying, but actually went to his house to read information about Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, Yin-Yang Five Elements, and Twenty-Eight Constellations, while also studying his Wind-Listening Ruler.
Perhaps because she had been getting too close to Gu Qian during this time, Princess Shangyang gradually developed an opinion of her.
The day Yu Sui entered the National Academy, Princess Shangyang fiercely asked her: "Do you like Gu Qian?"
Yu Sui was stunned.
Princess Shangyang pointed at her: "You do like Gu Qian, that's why you won't agree to help this princess watch him!"
Princess Shangyang was furious. Without giving Yu Sui a chance to explain, she had the teaching master move her seat, unwilling to sit with her anymore.
The teaching master found this very difficult.
One was the empress's most beloved little daughter, the other was Prince Nangong's heir. He couldn't afford to offend either.
Yu Sui asked Princess Shangyang: "Do you really want me to leave?"
Princess Shangyang glared with wide eyes: "You leave!"
Yu Sui: "Alright then."
She stood up, holding her books, and walked to the back, coming to Zhongli Que's side.
Zhongli Que, who had been writing with her head down, looked up in surprise.
Yu Sui said to the person sitting next to Zhongli Que: "Will you switch with me?"
This girl happened to be one of Princess Shangyang's sisterhood. She looked at Princess Shangyang, packed up her things, and left.
Yu Sui asked Zhongli Que again: "May I sit here?"
Zhongli Que touched her cheek: "Y-yes."
Yu Sui said thanks, sat down beside her, then lay her head on the desk to sleep.
Princess Shangyang: "......"
She actually went to Zhongli Que's side!
This infuriates me!
The teaching master, seeing the children had resolved it themselves, quietly sighed in relief. Coughing as if nothing had happened, he began his lesson.
Zhongli Que held her brush, stealing glances from the corner of her eye at Yu Sui sleeping on the desk beside her. Sunlight fell on half her body, making her skin crystal clear and translucent, as exquisitely beautiful as a porcelain doll.
……
Yu Sui had changed to a new desk mate. Unlike her previous one who would talk to her every day, the two hadn't had a conversation for several days, each doing their own thing.
They hadn't mentioned the incident of wearing matching hair accessories before, nor had they discussed why Little Master Lin had called out to Yu Sui that day.
Yu Sui didn't know if it was because of Princess Shangyang's influence, but since she openly disliked Zhongli Que, no children played with Zhongli Que.
Zhongli Que was the daughter of the Nation-Protecting General, and from the main family line. Her status wasn't inferior to Yu Sui's or Princess Shangyang's.
Previously, Lady Su had told Yu Sui not to befriend the Zhongli family's children. Yu Sui thought it was because of Nangong Ming.
Nangong Ming's Asura Eyes could see through all military formation methods, while the Zhongli family mastered the world's strongest military formation trapping and killing techniques. Nangong Ming was their only natural enemy.
These two were also the left and right arms of the current Qingyang Emperor, mutually constraining each other.
Princess Shangyang was angry for several days. The more she thought about it, the more indignant she became. She no longer cared whether Yu Sui liked Gu Qian or not, her mind was full of "she actually went to find Zhongli Que."
I can choose not to be friends with you, but you went and befriended someone I hate.
This was unacceptable to Princess Shangyang.
Princess Shangyang gritted her teeth and decided to "win back" Yu Sui. These past few days, she would wander in front of Yu Sui for no reason, hinting through her words that "I forgive you."
Yu Sui pretended not to understand, always looking back at Princess Shangyang with confusion, her eyes clearly saying "what are you talking about, I don't understand," which made Princess Shangyang angrily call her an idiot.
Actually, Zhongli Que wasn't really without friends. After all, her family was prosperous, with many sisters from the same clan, almost all at the National Academy. They would dine together, travel to and from the Academy together, and so on.
Princess Shangyang thought Yu Sui was an idiot, so she directly said to Yu Sui: "This princess forgives you. Come back on your own."
Zhongli Que didn't look over but pricked up her ears to listen.
Yu Sui looked at the magnanimous Princess Shangyang and shook her head: "I don't want to go back."
Princess Shangyang's pupils shook: "What did you say?!"
"I'm fine sitting here." Yu Sui said honestly.
Princess Shangyang angrily pointed at Zhongli Que: "Do you like playing with her?"
Yu Sui nodded: "Yes!"
Princess Shangyang felt very embarrassed and angry, almost getting into a fight with Yu Sui. Her little companions held her back, knowing that if these two fought, it would be terrible.
Everyone thought Yu Sui would definitely get beaten, worrying that Princess Shangyang would be scolded by the empress after hitting Yu Sui.
Princess Shangyang finally issued a threat: "Nangong Sui! Just sit there then, you'll never be allowed back!"
Yu Sui nodded: "Mm-hmm!"
Princess Shangyang: "......"
This was unbearable.
She turned around and flipped Yu Sui's desk.
The scene erupted into chaos, children cried out in alarm, Zhongli Que yelped, and rushed forward with Princess Shangyang's sisterhood to break up the fight.
The teaching master came in to encounter this situation and was nearly scared unconscious.
When Princess Shangyang pounced over, Yu Sui was truly bewildered.
She had never dreamed she would fight with a seven or eight-year-old child.
The two sides were pulled apart, the teaching master sternly scolded this behavior with righteous anger.
Princess Shangyang was still in a rage, being held by her little companions, only able to glare viciously at Yu Sui.
Yu Sui brushed down her disheveled hair and couldn't help but laugh.
Teaching master: "......"
Zhongli Que looked over in surprise. Princess Shangyang said angrily: "You're still laughing!"
Yu Sui couldn't help it again and giggled.
Princess Shangyang announced on this day that she was breaking off friendship with Nangong Sui.
……
Yu Sui being hit by Princess Shangyang spread throughout the entire National Academy that day.
It wasn't that the little princess of the manor and Princess Shangyang had fought, but that she had been hit by Princess Shangyang.
After all, Princess Shangyang was completely unharmed while Yu Sui didn't fight back. Her hair was disheveled from being grabbed, and she had several red marks on her neck.
That evening when leaving the National Academy, her three elder brothers looked at Yu Sui with complex expressions.
Yu Sui looked back without understanding.
Elder Brother Han Bing looked at her, hesitating to speak, finally sighing and saying: "Let's go."
Yu Sui followed him outside.
The other two brothers walked arm in arm.
Second Brother Su Feng seemed unable to hold back, turning his head to Yu Sui: "You should have hit back."
Third Brother Sheng Hao glanced sideways at Yu Sui walking beside them, snorting coldly: "What are your hands for?"
Yu Sui looked up: "But that's a princess."
Her brothers looked away in disappointment, feeling she was hopeless.
When Yu Sui returned to the manor, the red marks had mostly faded. The mute woman helped her re-style her disheveled hair.
When she went to Lady Su's to recite books, she no longer looked like someone who had been in a fight.
Yu Sui knelt at the door, reading two lines then reciting two lines. After spending some time reciting for Lady Su and confirming there were no problems, she stood up, coincidentally meeting Nangong Ming as he came over.
Nangong Ming casually patted her head, smiling: "I heard you were hit by Princess Shangyang today?"
Before Yu Sui could answer, Nangong Ming sighed: "Do you plan to let her keep hitting you in the future?"
"I don't have that plan," Yu Sui said.
Hearing her answer this way, Nangong Ming was somewhat satisfied. He instructed Yu Sui to work harder in the upcoming riding and archery and sword courses. Yu Sui nodded in agreement. As she left, she noticed Lady Su's gaze.
Yu Sui was very clear about Lady Su's attitude toward her.
She knew Lady Su had wavered before, wanting to kill her to reclaim the complete Breath Soil.
She also knew Lady Su was unwilling to return and cooperate with Nangong Ming again, even more unwilling for her beloved eldest daughter Qing Kui's safety to be in Nangong Ming's hands.
Over the years, her relationship with Lady Su had grown increasingly distant.
When Nangong Ming threatened Lady Su with Qing Kui to continue cooperation, Lady Su could hardly see Yu Sui, who was regarded as a chess piece, as her beloved daughter anymore.
Because in Lady Su's eyes, Yu Sui was being raised by Nangong Ming.
At this moment, Lady Su's gaze toward Yu Sui carried the judgment of a superior, determining she was a weakling.
Yu Sui's mediocrity seemed to make Lady Su completely give up on this child.
……
Yu Sui returned to her room, fell on the bed, and rolled around. Recalling Lady Su's gaze as she left, she unconsciously scratched the corner of her eye.
This was serious.
A seven-year-old child seeing this would really be heartbroken.
If she performed more cleverly, Lady Su would become increasingly wary of Yu Sui, because it would represent Nangong Ming controlling a smart chess piece.
No one would believe Yu Sui had her own thoughts, wouldn't believe her intelligence was innate. They would only think she was a thorn cultivated by the manor.
Lady Su didn't trust Nangong Ming, so she wouldn't trust Yu Sui either.
Yu Sui was certain that if given the opportunity, or if pushed to desperation by Nangong Ming, Lady Su would no longer hesitate and would kill her first to reclaim the complete Breath Soil.
Not to mention she possessed Strange Fire and bore the World Destroyer mark.
Yu Sui knew too little about this world's cultivation knowledge. In this vast ocean, she didn't even have a ladle's worth. Who knew what she did or said might expose her World Destroyer identity and result in execution by fire.
She had to make everyone not notice her, growing in corners where no one cared, until she ensured she was strong enough.
Seven years old.
Before age seven, a child would tell their parents they were tormented every night by an unknown flame in their body and couldn't sleep.
She was only seven when facing Princess Shangyang.
Yu Sui rubbed her eyes, sat up, and continued working on the National Academy's super-large communication array.
Though she could recreate the communication array's appearance in her mind based on that day's memory, to obtain real-time information, she had only two methods:
First, decrypt from the communication array itself.
Second, obtain a Wind-Listening Ruler and connect to the National Academy's communication array.
How could she frequently visit the communication courtyard without arousing suspicion?
The next day, Yu Sui left early from the last class. When entering the communication courtyard, she was stopped by a patrolman who asked what she needed.
Yu Sui said: "I'm waiting for my third brother, but it's so hot outside. May I come in and wait here?"
Learning this was the little princess from the manor, the communication courtyard people didn't stop her. Besides, Yu Sui's reason couldn't reasonably be refused. The little girl was well-behaved and adorable, and various factors allowed Yu Sui to smoothly enter the communication courtyard.
No one would think a seven-year-old child could decrypt the runic information in communication arrays.
So Yu Sui sat at the edge of the stellar array, even able to chat with the patrolmen, listening to them talk about cultivation:
"These in the star array are called number mountains."
"The largest number mountain is called Tianyuan, the one to Tianyuan's left is called Jiguang, the one to the right is called Changsheng."
"Tianyuan represents positioning, Jiguang handles transmission and conversion, Changsheng performs encryption. The other number mountains record different information and converge toward them."
The patrolman made a gesture, drew a circle, his fingertip finally stopping on number mountain Tianyuan.
Yu Sui's face was full of "how amazing" expressions, making the patrolmen who were amusing a child feel very accomplished.
"Wind-Listening Rulers aren't something you can use just because you have one. Using them has several conditions. First is literacy; second is memorizing fill-character formulas to send messages; third is remembering constellation positions to transmit sound to others."
The transmission methods and requirements for text and voice were different.
The patrolman asked: "How far has the princess learned?"
Yu Sui blinked and held up one finger: "Literacy."
The two patrolmen laughed at this.
The following time was spent with them teaching her fill-character formulas.
Yu Sui timed her departure to meet Sheng Hao after his studies ended, needing to play the part completely to avoid suspicion.
She stood in the distance among the crowd, calling out to Sheng Hao as he came out: "Third Brother!"
Sheng Hao was startled hearing the voice. Seeing Yu Sui under the tree and looking around, had the sun set in the east today?
"Why are you here?" Sheng Hao ignored his friends and walked straight toward Yu Sui.
Yu Sui said: "Father said I should put more effort into the upcoming riding, archery, and sword courses. I don't know how, so I wanted Third Brother to teach me in advance."
Sheng Hao thought tomorrow's sun should rise from the west.
"You have to kneel to recite texts, won't you have to kneel to learn archery?" the sharp-tongued third prince said unkindly.
Yu Sui thought there was no helping that. She couldn't sleep well at night, so she had to sleep during the day.
"I don't want to kneel while learning," Yu Sui said honestly. "So I wanted to ask Third Brother to teach me."
The reason she sought out Sheng Hao was because his academy was closest to the communication courtyard.
Sheng Hao said without changing expression: "Go find Gu Qian. Don't you two have a good relationship?"
Yu Sui said: "Big Brother Gu isn't as good as you in this area. You're the most capable person I know."
Perhaps the words "most capable" convinced Sheng Hao. Though he complained verbally, he still led Yu Sui to the archery range after returning to the manor.
……
The Yu Sui that outsiders knew was a princess with mediocre aptitude, no talent, and somewhat foolish. Sheng Hao lived under the same roof with her, going to and from the National Academy together, so his perception was somewhat different.
First, Sheng Hao didn't think Yu Sui was foolish to the point of being worthless, nor stupid enough to know nothing. She was fine as a person, just slow in reactions, with no temper, and rather timid.
Sheng Hao was three years older than her. Most of the time he was guided by his mother Lady Sheng. Because of his high talent, Nangong Ming also often cared about this child.
Though Lady Sheng's cultivation realm wasn't high, she had her own business, wasn't short of money, and with the manor's background, was also a prominent figure in commerce.
So she could give Sheng Hao confidence and raised her son to fear nothing.
Sheng Hao, who followed the principle "when in doubt, I'm the best," thought Yu Sui, who only got beaten and scolded without fighting or talking back, was a timid coward with no backbone.
Though Lady Su had no family background, she was at least a Thirteenth Realm expert, and Yu Sui was the manor's heir, the future princess. Princess Shangyang might not even be stronger than her in the future. What was the point of being so timid? Toughen up!
Sheng Hao had many complaints about Yu Sui. Looking at her bewildered face, he couldn't say anything, starting with helping her select bow strings.
Yu Sui was quite serious, not perfunctory.
Sheng Hao felt her physical strength was too weak, her string-pulling power unstable. She needed to train her stamina first. After stamina training, she also needed to familiarize herself with bow strings daily, developing a relationship with them.
The sibling teaching at the archery range was soon noticed by elder and second brothers.
Learning Yu Sui wanted to study horsemanship, the brothers who had already mastered it all expressed willingness to help.
Second Brother Su Feng was very enthusiastic with strong desire to show off. He drew and shot several times, hitting the bullseye every time, smugly looking back at Yu Sui: "Did you learn?"
Yu Sui clapped, then shook her head.
Second Prince Su Feng was also raised by his mother Lady Hui. Lady Hui had some ambition when young, wanting her son to compete for the manor's heir position.
Who knew when her son was tested for talent, he was most compatible with the Military School.
Prince Nangong from the School of Names had a subtle antagonistic relationship with the Military School, so naturally couldn't pass the throne to a son from the Military School.
Only then did Lady Hui give up, changing to cultivating her son Su Feng's cultivation in the Military School.
Second Prince Su Feng was the least likely person to become heir, so had no competitive relationship with his siblings. He was cheerful and admired their father the most among the children.
As for Eldest Prince's mother Lady Han, she was the only one among the four ladies who truly loved and still loved Nangong Ming.
Whatever Nangong Ming expected Han Bing to be, Lady Han would teach him to be that.
All three sons quite liked their father Nangong Ming. Before Gu Qian appeared, Nangong Ming hadn't shown obvious preference for any child.
Even Yu Sui, chosen as heir, hadn't received favoritism.
But a child who wasn't from the Nangong family got it.
This was also why the three brothers had no hostility or prejudice toward Yu Sui, because Gu Qian was the target of their enmity.
In other words, if heir Yu Sui had received Nangong Ming's preference, they wouldn't be so jealous and dissatisfied.
At least they were all family.
What was that brat Gu Qian anyway?
Yu Sui had previously been close to Gu Qian, making the three brothers somewhat disappointed. Now she was abandoning Gu Qian and seeking out family, giving the three a sense of "we finally won" victory.
At this moment, the oldest and most steady Han Bing was correcting Yu Sui's bow-drawing posture.
Su Feng and Sheng Hao were debating whether to "train stamina first" or "directly gain experience hands-on."
Sheng Hao said: "Her strength isn't good enough, she struggles just pulling the bow. What experience can she accumulate?"
Su Feng said: "There are light bows. First pick one suitable for her to practice with, then gradually increase the weight."
Sheng Hao: "You don't know anything!"
Su Feng: "You don't know anything!"
Han Bing turned around: "Such crude language is not permitted."
The two brothers ignored him. Neither convinced the other, but got more heated and started fighting. Han Bing's attempts to mediate were ineffective, so he stepped forward to join and forcibly separate them.
Yu Sui stood aside watching, then turned her head and tried pulling the bow herself. Swoosh... the arrow fell halfway.
She took another arrow, from the corner of her eye seeing the three still wrestling together.
Boys this age were most carefree, easy to read, not having experienced storms and setbacks, simply transparent at a glance.
They had the innocence, jealousy, and naivety of their age, emotions coming and going quickly.
These daily memories would also be their most profound and unforgettable in the future.
……
Yu Sui was getting busier lately.
She dismantled the National Academy's giant communication array at night, slept at the Academy during the day, skipped classes at set times to go to the communication courtyard, observed the number mountains in the communication array while gathering related information from patrolling guards.
At sunset she returned to the manor with her brothers to practice archery.
In archery practice, Yu Sui showed her seriousness but never practiced overtime. She left promptly when time was up, not staying a moment longer.
Often when Sheng Hao was still explaining techniques, halfway through Yu Sui would run off, saying while running: "Time's up, Brother, I'll listen again tomorrow."
Sheng Hao: "......"
Recently both Lady Su and Nangong Ming weren't at the manor, so Yu Sui didn't need to go recite texts. This freed up time to nap before dark. After the Strange Fire's restlessness woke her with heat, she continued studying communication arrays.
This lifestyle continued until Lady Su and Nangong Ming returned to the manor.
Gu Qian also returned with them.
Gu Qian wouldn't come to the manor without reason. Today he had a whim to see Yu Sui. Just passing the archery range, he saw Yu Sui standing on the range being instructed in archery by her three brothers.
Anyone could see the relationship between these people was much better than before.
Gu Qian watched for a while, found it boring, and left the manor.
The next day he went to the National Academy and encountered Yu Sui, who smiled and greeted him.
Gu Qian asked Yu Sui: "What have you been practicing recently?"
Yu Sui said: "Practicing archery. We'll be learning it next month, so I'm practicing in advance."
Gu Qian hummed, then asked: "At the National Academy?"
"No." Yu Sui shook her head. "After going home, Third Brother teaches me."
Gu Qian snorted: "Why didn't you ask me to teach you?"